Ted Daffan recorded that song in the 1940s – Ted’s a sadly overlooked country artist, an original honky tonker. He wrote “Born to Lose,” an absolute classic that’s since become one of the genre’s defining songs. Ray Charles took the song to new heights on his landmark Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. But Daffan’s original has its own charm. Hear it below.
Now ain’t that a beauty?
If you’re curious, compare it to Ray’s version, cut a couple decades later, embellished with strings and far more lush:
The song has been cut by many others, too — Dean Martin, Ray Price, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones and LeAnn Rimes, to name a few.
